Student sustainability projects to get $70,000

Portland State President Wim Wiewel has decided to boost James F. Miller Grant funding for student sustainability projects from $35,000 to $70,000, according to Sion Zivetz with the Center for Sustainable Processes and Practices.

About 120 administrators, faculty and students turned out for Thursday’s Idea Generator event, designed to showcase and elicit feedback on proposals from 41 undergraduate and graduate student teams. The event was second in a three-stage process to encourage more student involvement in planning the university’s sustainability agenda.

Audience response to the presenters and their ideas was overwhelmingly positive.

“Alice [Wiewel] came and was so impressed with the caliber and maturity of the projects proposed that she recommended to Wim that the pool of money increase,” Zivetz said.

The center’s interim director, Jennifer Allen, agreed with Wiewel’s recommendation and the additional funding was allocated over the weekend.

Zivetz said that the event proved to be a great networking opportunity for faculty, administrators and students, but that next year’s proposal process will start earlier, giving students more time to organize and collaborate before the public event.

Despite the quick turnaround on proposal applications expected of this year’s student teams, administrators and graduate assistants involved in organizing the event couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome.

“I feel safe in saying that we are all very excited to see what comes of the great ideas that students are putting out there,” Zivetz said.
Final revisions of student proposals are due Wednesday with decisions expected by Feb. 23.